Coin processing machines are used in both the financial industry to sort, count and/or package coins and in the retain sector as a publicly accessible redemption machine to exchange loose change for a ticket or voucher.
In some conventional processing machines, each of a plurality of coin denominations are separated from the remaining denominations and stored in a receptacle specific to that denomination. In other conventional processing applications, the sorted coins are counted and collected into at least one or more coin bins or receptacles of mixed denominations or combination of single and mixed denominations.
In addition to processing of a plurality of coins, these redemption machines have a focus of self-service application, limiting intervention of attendants and service personnel. These approaches provide a service to the consumer that allows the exchange of the coin for a voucher. This voucher is redeemed for the amount of coins deposited in the form of banknotes by an employee such as a cashier. Balancing is required, daily, weekly, or other frequencies between vouchers cashed to the coins processed by the armored carrier. These redemption machines also require service from the tellers, cashiers, or clerks to manage the bags, change and clear receptacles and bags, and call for pick-ups as required. The armored carriers provide a service of picking up the coin receptacles and processing the coins for a fee. The value is provided back to the financial institution or retail store.
Some prior art systems exist for dispensing a value card (e.g., a gift card) for the value of coins deposited in coin redemption machines. However, these prior art systems suffer from several shortcomings. For example, prior art systems are limited in the variety of value card types that may be purchased. Typically, prior art systems require pre-printed value cards of differing predetermined values specific to the type of value card dispensed. To provide several card varieties, some prior art systems require additional dispensers, which unfavorably increase the machine's footprint and cost. Other prior art systems disclose carriage mechanisms that shuttle between stacks of pre-printed value cards to dispense a selected card type. However, these prior art systems also require larger machine footprints and more frequent servicing when one particular card type has run out but other card types have not.